Protective
by Shizuku Tsukishima749
Summary: No one gets to his sister without going through him first. -Katara/Sokka Three-shot Siblingfic.-
1. Cover

_A/N: _For the record, I want to make it clear that I HATE 'THE LAST AIRBENDER' MOVIE WITH A FIERY PASSION! It is such a DISGRACE to such a gorgeous series, and I will NEVER consider it part of the world we all know and love! And just so we're good on another thing: THIS IS NOT INCEST!

**Fic Basis: **This three-shot (a fic consisting of three chapters, if you don't know) solely highlights the three moments throughout the whole film that (I thought) were not as utterly pathetic as the rest. And as they all happen to be Sokka/Katara brother-sister parts, and being that I am a serious analyzer of sibling relationships/bonds, I thought I ought to share my interpretation of them.

That said, please note that I will have either the same or similar lines from said scenes in random parts throughout each chapter. Also anticipate that I have improvised each scene, adding in the stuff of my imagination where I see fit. And to balance it out a little, there will be allusions to events in the series throughout the chapters.

**Scene Basis: **The very opening of the movie with Sokka and Katara together. There is just something about the slightly OOC way they act (at least in Sokka's case) that intrigues me.

_Disclaimer: _I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender _or the cruddy trash of a film they dare to call its counterpart, _The Last Airbender_. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and M. Night Sham. do, respectively, as well as anyone else affiliated.

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**Protective**

The water-ball bursts without warning and before she has time to yell, empties itself on his head, drenching him straight through his fur parka.

"I'm sorry!" Katara cries the moment she is over the shock of what she's done, already taking a step forward to try to help. Now if only she knew enough Waterbending to dry him off… "I'm really, really sorry!"

Sokka knows it was an accident (it always is), but like every other time before it, that does not stop the burning panic from flaring up in his chest. It is this reaction, then, that dictates his next actions.

Stalking forward to meet her halfway, he surprises himself by grabbing her wrists rather roughly. She freezes instantly and waits on baited breath, staring up at him with frightened eyes. He is never this hostile with her (not physically, at least; usually it's just endless lectures on duty and honor), not even when she does something incredibly stupid that puts them both in danger.

He softens almost immediately at the ever-steadfast trust he sees in her blue orbs, at the fear just a hair short of overshadowing it, and releases a cleansing sigh through his nose. His expression is calm when he garners enough courage to look at her again.

"Do you remember what happened last time?" he asks softly, and while it pains him to see it, he is glad of the tears that fill his sister's eyes because he knows she understands. 'Last time' was the day the Fire Nation raided their village in search of the South Pole's last Waterbender, when their Mother had been taken from them. "Just because the Fire Nation ships haven't come around in a long time doesn't mean they won't, you know that. This isn't our fishing boat, Katara; you can't just bend out here where there's no cover."

She nods, both ashamed and silently grieving as she refuses to make eye-contact. It is a long few moments before he hears her voice again, and quiet though it is, he is startled. "Sokka…?"

She stares down at her feet, her face twisting thoughtfully as she fingers their Mother's necklace. Knowing what is coming and how hard (for this is nothing new to him after so many years), he answers gently, "Yeah, Katara?"

"Do you think Mom's watching us?" she whispers, but instead of replying he knowingly keeps his mouth shut. "Do you think she knows we're okay?" The tears begin to constrict her throat. "Do you think she knows how much we miss her?" Her words come out as an indecipherable garble, and her face contorts once more into an expression of agonizing emotional strain.

Commence breakdown.

Her knees buckle, and her fall has but started when she is taken into a pair of safe, loving arms. Her sobs are loud and heart-wrenching, but there is no shame in that. She is only a child, after all, one caught up in this disgusting war that has left both her and her brother parentless in more ways than one.

Sokka embraces her for all she is worth (and that is everything, absolutely everything, to him) not minding whatsoever when she wraps her arms around his neck so tightly he can scarcely breathe and her tears wet the front of his recently-washed parka.

Through it all, he is careful to allow only a few silent tears to fall. He is the warrior of his village, after all, and warriors do not broadcast their pain when others require their strength. Just as, his sister needs him now, and no force in the world will keep him from giving her the reassurance she needs.

The sobbing dies down after several painstaking minutes, and it is only then that Sokka dares to pull away. Gazing into her confused cerulean eyes, he says seriously, "Promise me you'll be more careful, that you won't do anything stupid when I'm not around."

'Something stupid' refers to Waterbending, and even though he doesn't mean it like that, Sokka is sure he sees a flash of defiance cross her face—Katara is a restless spirit by nature, and Waterbending is as much a part of her as his boomerang is of him—before she curiously deflates.

She knows he only makes her take these oaths to keep her safe, and she can't blame him. They've lost so much to the war already, first with Mom, then Dad, so to lose another… Inwardly, she shudders.

"All right, Sokka," she allows, voice hardly above a whisper as her eyes lock not on him, but on his warrior's Wolf-Tail hairstyle. "I promise."

The smile he shows her this time is very nearly full-blown, and she blushes pink to know that she has been the cause of such peculiar joy. Shaking her head, she laughs out loud, grinning brightly herself for the first time in what seems years.

It is only a few days and one impulsive move later that a young boy and his Flying Bison are rescued from an iceberg.

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_A/N: _Thanks for reading! This is my first Avatar fic in years and considering it's nearly 3 AM here, please tell me how I did or if you see any glaring mistakes (grammar, spelling, etc)! Rock on!


	2. Risks

_A/N: _This chapter is rather short since I didn't have much to work with, but oh well. Not sure if it's totally what I wanted, but we'll see what you wonderful reviewers think, eh?

**Scene Basis: **After Aang is taken by Prince Zuko, Katara and Sokka argue about whether or not to rescue him. Two of their lines (one for Katara and one for Sokka) in this scene struck me, and I used them as the centerfold for this chapter: Katara says, "What would you do if they tried to take me away?" Sokka responds, "I'd kill them all."

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She is sewing a hole in a pair of his pants, trying and failing to distract herself from the matter at hand, when he barges in. She nearly laughs at the snowflakes that have settled on his cheeks, nose, and eyelashes, but then becomes aware of the grave look on his face.

Her joy evaporates instantly, and she abandons her work in favor of standing and walking over. Looking into his stormy blue eyes, she lays a hand on his shoulder and tries to find out what's going on. "Sokka, what is it?"

He turns to her, a strangely coupled expression of defeat and duty playing, and replies softly, "What do you think we should do?"

"About what?" And even then she knows the answer, for it has not been an hour since Aang was taken by the Fire Nation, and she hasn't spoken to Sokka since.

"You know what, Katara: Aang. I know you want to help him, and in a way so do I, I was just starting to like the kid. But this is just too dangerous! Have you even _considered_ the risks involved in taking a Fire Nation ship?"

She frowns deeply. She is not stupid; she knows the odds of two inexperienced fighters actually _winning _against an army of Firebenders are virtually nil, but she can have faith, can't she?

"We'll do our best, and if something happens we've got each other. But we have to get Aang back, Sokka. He _needs _us."

The elder boy says nothing for a time, instead opting to examine her intently. Finally, he responds, "Why is he so important to you? We _found _him, Katara. We're not his babysitters. He's not our—"

"—responsibility? Is _that_ what you were going to say?" she interrupts icily, eyes no more than slits as she glares. He also hears the unasked accusations brewing just beneath the surface: _Then what about me, huh? Am I just some 'responsibility,' too? _

Even abiding by the fact that he's grown used to her temper after so many years, he knows to keep back when she's like this. If he's right, and he's confident he is, these inquisitions, the unspoken ones admittedly being the most painful, are all part of her motherly instincts-gone-takeover spiel, meaning he won't have to wait much longer for them to quiet down...

As expected, she is calm again in a couple of seconds. Her expressive blue eyes beg forgiveness for her outburst(s), and he has no qualms against granting it. Nervously running a hand over his mostly-shaved head, he sweeps his fingers through his Wolf-Tail for strength and good measure.

"So he really means this much to you?" he asks wearily, though the extent of their fight thus far is evidence enough.

She bites her lip and looks away. Of course Aang is important to her, but he's proved to be stronger than he looks. And to dig deeper into her heart, while Sokka does get under her skin constantly, she _loves_ him…so what of his life?

She turns back toward him, and though her next words are difficult, she knows he is only even considering this for her, because she's his sister and he loves her. So it is only right that she show him the same respect by combating his warning with an equally biting ultimatum. "What would do if they tried to take me away?"

His immediate snarl of an answer surprises her, and yet somehow she is not as shocked as she feels she should be.

"I'd kill them all."

And in studying him for a mere instant, in seeing the way his eyes have begun to smolder and his heart has been set aflame, she knows it as his highest truth.

"Then you know why we have to do this," she presses softly, and he realizes too late the reality of the corner into which he's been run. She has beaten him at long last, and he acknowledges it with an exasperated sigh and a hang of the head. But even then it is all made worth it, for the smile she gives is beautiful, more so than any he's seen in her fourteen years, and he reaches forward to squeeze her hand.

The second has passed, and when she opens her mouth to speak he is all ears. But then laughter from some of the younger children is heard outside, and their first thought is to investigate (for the majority of them have not laughed since their Fathers left).

Two sets of bright blue eyes are quickly drawn to the playful, currently child-mobbed Appa, and they have their plan.

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_A/N: _Thanks for reading!


	3. Righteous Heart

_A/N: _This is the last installment, considering this scene was the last to really get me, I think the one to get me most of all.

**Scene Basis: **During the Fire Nation's invasion of the North Pole, Katara and Aang are left in the sanctuary of the Moon and Ocean Spirits. Zuko attacks while Aang is meditating and, when she tries to protect Aang, knocks Katara out, taking the Airbender with him. Later, after making sure the soldiers and villagers have their respective directives, Sokka and Yue make their way back to the sanctuary to observe the damage Zuko has exacted. The tenderness with which Sokka treats his sister in this scene is what inspired this final chapter.

* * *

Sokka and Yue return to the sanctuary as soon as they can, and almost immediately there is something in the atmosphere that makes the hair on the back of the warrior's neck stand on end.

Something is very wrong.

"Katara! Aang!" he calls desperately into the silence, praying his instincts are wrong and everything is just fine. "Answer me!" Nothing. _Please, Spirits, no..._

Yue knows this place better than he does, so it is no surprise when she grabs his arm and points out a fallen form beside a tree. He steps closer, and in the moonlight he is able to make out the lithe body of a girl clad in blue…

The color drains from his face, his breath leaves him in a rush, and he charges forward with a panicked scream of his sister's name: "_Katara_!"

He collapses to his knees beside her unconscious body, looking her over for any sign of mortal injury. He watches her chest for movement and slides a hand under her nose to make sure she is breathing (and she is, however shallowly), and though a few bruises mar her face and more undoubtedly swell beneath her clothes, he finds contentment in the simple knowledge that she is alive.

Reaching forward cautiously, trembling fingers feather-lightly brush her discolored, swollen cheek before moving to trace the outline of her face.

"Katara," he whispers, ignoring the way his voice cracks on the first syllable and shakes through the rest. He cups her unhurt cheek gently, silently willing her eyes to open as his own fill with tears. He can't stand to see his sister look so weak. She shouldn't even be mixed up in all of this; she's only a _kid_... "Katara, please wake up. _Please_."

There is no response to his pleas, and he has to swallow the tears that blur his vision and threaten to fall. He _can't_ lose her. Not now, not like this. _Not yet_. _Please_ not yet. (Because this is far too close to how they lost Mom, and the similarities between Kya and Katara are stacked enough without death to add…)

And all at once, almost as if she's heard him and can't bear to cause him any further pain, Katara's eyes fly open. Because her first reaction is to take in a great rush of air, she crumples in on herself with violent coughs, no doubt a delayed reaction from such an impact with the tree. She is weak when the episode finally ends, leaving her gasping for air and unable to hold herself up, but this is no cause for worry because Sokka catches her immediately.

She looks up at him, taking slow, deep breaths in an effort to get herself back on track, and in her eyes there are so many conflicting emotions that he takes her into his arms without a second thought. Closing her eyes, she relaxes against him, hugging him with what little strength she has left, and _breathes_.

Slowly but surely she does, and everything falls into place again as he curls her against his chest soothingly, protectively, being absolutely sure to _drink her in_ because he realizes with terrifying clarity how close he's come to losing her…

More than anything, Sokka wishes to keep her wrapped up in the safety of his arms forever, but when she pulls back after only a few seconds he understands the look he is getting.

Though when he looks again, he doesn't remember any streaming tears.

"Katara, what is it?" His voice is soft, worried, and he sweeps a stray tendril of dark hair behind her ear in a calming gesture. The loving motion brings her temporary release in the form of grateful ecstasy, never mind that her voice still quakes when she speaks.

"Zuko took Aang! I tried to fight him off, but I—" her voice breaks, "—I wasn't strong enough, and he _took Aang away_…!"

The dam breaks completely now, and Sokka hugs her once more, all the tighter this time. He bends down to kiss her forehead, and because he knows she needs it, needs _him_, he makes it last a moment or two longer than usual. She burrows deeper into his warmth as he rests his cheek atop her head.

Through all of this consoling, however, he swears in his heart of hearts that he'll avenge his sister's heartache. Aang is her best friend, the sole one to make her smile like she hasn't since Mom died, and Sokka can't thank the kid enough for that. And whether he'll ever admit it aloud or not, Aang has become something of a little brother to Sokka, someone he would willingly give his life to protect.

But surpassing all else is the drive to make Zuko _pay _for this, for hurting his sister and for kidnapping Aang, even if it's the last thing he does. And though he quiets his rage for now, knowing his focus should lay with more productive things, Spirits help the man who gets in his way when all is said and done and he is out for the Prince's blood.

Because he's said it before and he'll say it a million times yet: _no one _gets to his sister without going through him first.

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_A/N: _Thank you so much for reading! I'm so grateful to everyone who read and reviewed/favorited/alerted this! Rock on!


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